Chuck Vs the Strange Bedfellows
by Afficted
Summary: Part VII of the Postcard Series. Ellie and Devon Woodcomb had been so fortunate that her father had bought them a house. An Orion story. OOPS! Realized too late this title was also used by Sharpasmarble. Sorry Sharp.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everybody! Remember me? It's been six weeks since my last conf- I mean, chapter posting. Life has been rough, unfortunately. But at last, I have a 4-chapter arc, and this may be the last one published before we get REAL Chuck back and my storyline is officially pushed into AU land. (As if it weren't always.) But I WILL continue my story, even after that.  
**

**Anyway, for those of you coming back to read this, thank you very much. I should point out to both new readers who have never read my stuff, and to old readers who have but have understandably forgotten what has gone on before, this story does tie in very importantly with prior continuity in my story. So, if you get confused, might not hurt to go back and read Chapter 2 of Postcard, Chapter 1 of Interdependence, and a good part of First Handler (especially the end). But, if you are adventurous, go ahead and read on with this and I'm sure you'll figure it all out. **

**Thanks to my editors, my wife and Anon, who have been VERY patient. My wife went so far as to pull up Victorian floor plans for sake of authenticity. **

**OK, I don't own Chuck! On with the show. **

* * *

As she placed the main course on the table, and sat down, Dr. Eleanor Bartowski took a moment to bask in the love in the room, and in the good fortune that had allowed this to be possible.

Her husband, Devon, was there. Her _husband_. Her friends never had any doubt that she and Devon were meant to be, and in spite of a few bumps in the road, neither had she. Even so, to be happily married, coming from her family background; that was something she had never taken for granted. So, she appreciated every moment with him. She loved who he was. His enthusiasm, his joy for life, and yes, his Awesomeness.

Her brother, Chuck, was there, and he was happy. So completely happy. This, she especially did not take for granted, because she had seen the other side. Five years of pain and depression for him. She had tried to support Chuck and raise him up. Devon, bless him, had helped as best as he could. But, nothing had worked to get her brother past the funk that had immobilized him.

Until Sarah had come along. Chuck's girlfriend was by his side, and though Ellie had worried at Sarah's bizarre behavior during their last meeting, the blonde now seemed over the insecurity that had caused it. Sarah was now more relaxed than Ellie had ever seen her. She and Chuck had been casually touching since they arrived. Sure, they had shown affection in their two years together, but for some reason, it had always previously struck Ellie as a bit… forced, and Ellie had never understood why that should be. Not now, though, which was a very good sign. Sarah had brought Chuck out of his frozen state from the beginning, but the initial results had been mixed. Chuck would be over-the-moon on one day, and then miserable the next. He had acted in ways, completely uncharacteristic for him. The first time Ellie had met Sarah, Chuck's anxiety had caused him to sabotage the dinner. Worse, he began flaking on Ellie, missing planned events, not calling, even keeping things from her. After confronting Chuck on this, Ellie had come to terms with the dynamic. Chuck simply had a new love in his life. She was more worried about the effect the roller-coaster aspects of the relationship were having on him. He and Sarah had broken up twice. Now, though, at long last, they finally appeared stable. Ellie was thrilled. She adored Sarah, and looked forward to a time when Sarah would officially be her sister. Ellie thought that seemed very likely to happen. If things stayed stable.

Morgan Grimes was there. Ellie had initially pursed her lips when she learned that he was coming to dinner. However, Sarah had assured Ellie that she and Morgan had come to an "understanding", and more importantly, he was no longer going to be living with them. Ellie could live with that. Annoying as Morgan could be, Ellie had, in fact, come to her own understanding with him, and didn't entirely begrudge his self-inserted place in their family anymore, as long as he minded his boundaries. Right now, Morgan and Sarah were actually laughing together at some shared joke. It was all good.

Her father was there. This was the most surprising fact for Ellie. After ten years of absence, which he had never fully explained, Stephen Bartowski was back. He had vanished once almost immediately after his initial return, but then Chuck brought him back in time for her wedding, and her father had stayed around ever since. He had bought the house in which they currently ate. He had given this to her and Devon as his wedding gift. He was living in the cottage at the end of the property. Her father was back in her life, and as terrified as Ellie had been that he would disappear once again, he had shown no sign of doing so. With every day that passed, she found herself checking less and less to see if he was still there. She found herself thinking less about the day in which she would find him gone again. Would she ever be able to be fully complacent about this? Somehow, Ellie didn't think so. Yet, for tonight, everybody that she loved was around her. Tonight, she would put her fears aside. She would be content.

* * *

After dinner, Devon brought out the game of Life. Morgan was most excited by this, and Sarah was intrigued; however, Stephen begged off. He asked if they would mind if he borrowed Chuck for a short while. Ellie appeared a bit disappointed that not all of them would play, but she didn't make a fight of it. Sarah's expression was curious. Chuck simply shrugged his shoulders and excused himself to go with his father.

As they were walking toward the back door, Stephen pulled up his left sleeve, and began tapping a code into his arm computer. Chuck noticed. "Uh… Dad?"

"Security, Charles. Don't mind me; I'm naturally careful after being on the run for so long."

His son paused, alarm seeming to spread on his face. "You… put in a security system?"

"Nothing commercial. I do all my own security." He patted Chuck on the back. "Don't worry about it, Son. I only have it to keep peace of mind."

"Um…OK. Does Ellie know?"

"Of course not. Why should she?"

"Um, in case she sets it off."

"Never happen. Any alarms will only notify me. It's not as if the police will come."

"I see. And, ah, what would you do if the alarm should go off and it's somebody bad?"

"What I usually do. Call in a Predator drone and blow up the property."

Chuck blanched.

"I'm kidding, Charles. As I said, don't worry about it."

They walked across the lawn, and Stephen unlocked the cottage door. They entered. Stephen sat on the bed, while Chuck sat down in his computer chair.

"So, Charles," said Stephen, "Tell me about work."

Chuck hesitated, appearing uncomfortable. "Uh, I'm not really supposed to talk to anybody about my work, Dad."

"Charles, this is me. I created a better part of that database in your head."

Chuck nodded. "Yeah, you did. I know… I know I can trust you with this information."

Over the next hour, he began telling about everything that had happened since he had begun his training with the new Intersect. Stephen couldn't be certain of course that he was being given the whole story, but he thought it very possible. Charles was never a good liar, at least to people who were aware that he might have something to hide. His guilt showed on his face whenever he was being dishonest. None of that guilt was present now, so either he was telling the whole truth, or he had gotten much better at deception. Stephen didn't like to think about it being the latter. He wanted his son's innocence to remain as intact as possible.

Chuck ended with the story of the recent mission against the Triad. "Beckman will have my skin if she finds out I told you this."

"I don't care about your superior. I care about your well-being," said Stephen.

Chuck's expression changed at that. He was looking at his father strangely now.

"What?" Stephen asked.

"Dad, to what lengths would you go to protect me?"

"I left you and you sister without a father for ten years to protect you. That should give you some idea."

"I know. It's just… We had a guardian angel during that last mission. There were Triad assassins in the peripheral buildings taking out Feds. At least one of the Triad had taken up a sniper position and could have shot at us, but somebody got to the Triad first. Somebody who wasn't the Feds."

Stephen frowned. "You think that was me?"

"Was it?"

"I won't deny that I would kill to protect you, Charles. You and your sister, both. I'm capable too, but single-handedly taking out a group of Triad assassins is a task for the young. Now, if I had my drones, that'd be one thing."

"No," Chuck smiled, obviously relieved. "I think if a Predator had come through the building, even the FBI would have noticed. That still doesn't explain who saved us, though."

"I'm glad you had that help, whoever it was. Still, I can't help but worry for you, Charles. I never wanted you to live this life, and I still don't."

"Dad," Chuck sighed.

""No, listen to me. I understand you feeling a sense of responsibility. That's the kind of man you are, and I'm proud of you. You want to fight this Ring, and that is understandable. But Charles, so far, you haven't been able to detect them. Since uploading the new Intersect, you've captured a few spies who haven't provided any new leads. Your ability to flash on information has produced virtually nothing, save that Greene character, and if anything truly helpful came from that, the government isn't telling you, are they? Meanwhile, you haven't been able to truly master this thing you have in your head."

Chuck's face fell. "Thanks for pointing out my failures, Dad."

"Charles, I'm not trying to tear you down. I just want to point out to you that this life isn't for you, and for a very long time, you felt the same way. During that wedding, when I said you weren't a spy, you didn't come back to me with, 'Yes, I am.' You said, 'I love her.' _That's_ why you went after them. Tell me, honestly, Charles, how much of uploading the Intersect was because you thought it was the only way to keep Agent Walker in your life?"

Chuck appeared to be getting angry now. "Uploading the Intersect nearly destroyed Sarah and me. She was going to give up the spy life to be with me, and then I went and uploaded the thing! You saw how upset she was afterwards. Between that and what later happened with Greene…" Chuck shook his head. "The fact that we've been able to survive as a couple through this is a miracle."

"Then, Charles, if that's the case, we can fix it! I told you before, I would find a way to take the Intersect out, and I can try again."

"No, Dad."

Stephen felt anger boil just below the surface. He tried to push it down, but perhaps Chuck detected some of it, because he pulled back away from his father.

"Dad, I talked to Sarah about this. We both agreed that this is something bigger than us. As long as the Ring exists, and I have the ability to fight it, that's what I need to do. Maybe after that's over, we can look into getting the Intersect out, but until then…"

Stephen couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice. "I always said things like that to your mother. 'Just this project today, Honey.' Only one project always led to another, and suddenly, I was alone with two children who didn't understand why their mother was gone. Let me tell you something, Charles. We fought Fulcrum for years, and in the end, what did it gain us? A lot of dead bodies, and it turned out, they were a small expendable part of a bigger, more dangerous whole. You're putting aside a happy life to bash your head against the wall again and again."

Chuck looked sad. "I don't see it that way, Dad. I'm sorry that it upsets you, but I've made my choice."

Stephen's eyes snapped shut for a moment at that word. _Choice. _He had wanted to give Chuck a choice. He really had, but Chuck didn't have Stephen's experience. He wouldn't understand until it was too late. Stephen had a responsibility to his son to protect him from this mistake. In the final analysis, Stephen simply knew better.

Chuck continued, "Dad, I don't want this to be a rift between us. I told you about what's going on, because I don't want us to have secrets from each other, OK? Respect my decision. Please. "

Stephen opened his eyes again, and willed his expression to be positive and understanding. "Of course, Charles. I may not always agree with you, but you're an adult now. It's your choice." As he smiled at his son, Stephen was glad that Chuck hadn't fully mastered the ability to see through a lie.

* * *

Chuck and Stephen had returned in time for cake, coffee, and much more pleasant conversation that went until midnight, at which point it was time to say goodbyes.

Everybody came to the front lawn of the house to do so. Hugs were shared with all. Chuck, Sarah, and Morgan piled into their car and drove off.

With the help of Ellie's Dad, clean-up only took a half-hour. After that, Stephen kissed Ellie on the cheek, winked at his son-in-law and made his way out the back door. Devon noticed Stephen pause right outside the door, roll up his sleeve and presumably look at his wrist watch. He paused then, seeming to stare at it. Pulling his sleeve back down, Stephen turned around and looked back through the glass door with a strange expression.

"Anything wrong, Steve?" asked Devon, concerned.

Stephen eyes flicked to Devon. "Ah, no. No, I just thought I-" He blinked, uncertainly. "I'm just tired and punchy."

"Well, get some sleep," said Devon, giving his father-in-law a reassuring grin.

Stephen nodded and turned around, walking back toward his cottage. Devon watched him go. Weird guy, Ellie's Dad. But a good guy. A moment later, Ellie came behind Devon and put her arms around his back. Devon grinned. "Awesome job this evening, Babe."

"The height of praise," she laughed. "C'mon, let's get to bed."

His grin widened. "Hey, I'm not tired yet."

Ellie smirked. "Of course, you're not."

They walked upstairs, flirting all the way.

* * *

Two hours later, Ellie and Devon had been asleep for awhile.

Their house was a beauty. It had been lovingly maintained. When Ellie's father had given it to them, the newlyweds had found very little work they needed to put into it immediately, aside from preferences in paint and landscaping.

Two stories. Four bedrooms for the upstairs. The master was large with its own bathroom, and they had put a king bed and a large flat screen in there. Each had taken one of the rooms for an office, though eventually, one of those was likely to become a nursery. The fourth would serve as a guest room, though it was full of storage materials at the moment.

The downstairs had a gorgeous remodeled kitchen. One door opened into the dining room another into the hall. The kitchen had a laundry room (in what used to be the pantry), with a door connecting to the huge back yard with lots of fruit trees, a garden, and play space for kids. In fact, one of the advantages of the house was that there were no alleys at either side. When they did have kids, Ellie wouldn't have to worry about them playing in the back unsupervised. With the high fences surrounding it, the only way to get to the backyard was to go through the house.

The house even had a library, which used to be the sitting room, across from the living room which used to be the main parlor. The only problem with the place was the lack of a garage. They had to park on the street, but they were almost always able to find a space out front.

Ellie was particularly fond of the foyer. She and Devon _had_ done some work on this area, putting some tile into the entranceway. They had also replaced the closet door with cherry wood, and a new bronze latch.

Ever so quietly, that latch began to turn.


	2. Chapter 2

**All right! Let's get to it.**

**Don't own Chuck. Check.**

**Thanks to editors, my wife and Anon. Double check.**

**Each of you who read, take a check. And each of you who review, take two checks!**

**Sorry if any of the checks bounce. **

* * *

Ellie woke up. She didn't know what had roused her. Or maybe she did. Devon was perfect in so many ways, but he had his flaws, and one of them was that he sometimes sounded like a revving tractor while asleep. Like now. She gave him an annoyed shove. "You're snoring. Stop it."

Her husband mumbled, "Sorry, Babe," rolled over onto his side, and immediately faded back into slumber, this time in a more quiet manner.

It was Ellie's intention to follow suit. She was usually able to even when her sleep was interrupted. Usually. She closed her eyes.

The house began talking to her. That was one of the things about these older homes. For whatever reason, the tiny crevices or cracks would get some wind in them, and make little creaking and popping sounds. _Not unlike Rice Krispies_, she thought. It was initially unnerving, but you got used to it after awhile.

She began thinking about the evening. It had worked out wonderfully. The only point of irritation for her had been Chuck and Dad being impolite and separating off from the party for an hour. Quite unsociable, but at least they eventually came back and participated again. There had been some tension there, though they covered it pretty well. She wondered what it was all about, but she wasn't going to ask about it during the party, and she still didn't feel comfortable asking questions of her Dad, anyway. Well, she'd call Chuck in the morning and he'd shed some light on the whole thing.

Devon started snoring again, providing a strange harmony between the house noises and her own thoughts. _Great. _She had wanted to get some chores done tomorrow, and for that she needed her energy, but now she felt wide awake. She hated insomnia. Hated it.

_Steamed milk. Put some almond in it. You'll fall asleep again, in what, a half-hour? _

Sighing, Ellie rose from her bed, and put on her slippers and a robe over her gown. They didn't like having the heater on while they slept, and the house got frigid in the night. She walked downstairs and passed briefly from the dining room into the kitchen.

She didn't want to turn on the overhead light. Too much illumination would make her even more awake, and she didn't want that. Yawning, she flicked the switch to light the bulb over the stove. She pulled the milk from the fridge, and set it on the counter. She went to get the almond extract from the spice rack. Wasn't there. She had recently bought a whole bunch of extra spices on a whim, and now there wasn't enough room on the rack for all of them. The overflow had gone into the cabinet by the refrigerator. She opened it up, and proceeded to rummage through for the ingredient she wanted. Maybe she was more tired than she thought though, because when she finally found it and pulled, a few tiny plastic spice bottles came tumbling out. She muttered a profanity, and turned around, crouching, trying to gather the little containers in the dark.

Ellie thought she had most of them. She was starting not to care. She was starting to get tired again, and she thought maybe she wouldn't need the milk after all this trouble she'd gone through. She'd put the stuff away, go upstairs, and try to go back to sleep.

When she straightened up, Ellie saw the person standing in the corner of the kitchen by the living room entrance. Ellie became immediately alert again, even as the spice containers fell out of her hands and onto the floor. The hairs on her arms shot up, and a jolt electrified her stomach.

Ellie was paralyzed. She had never been in a situation like this before. The terror that took hold of her now was nothing that she had ever felt, even her first code blue. She needed to scream so Devon or even her father could hear, but all her air was gone. She opened her mouth, but only a weak, pitiful whine came out. She suddenly needed to urinate very badly. An insane thought came to her to ask this intruder to allow her to go to the bathroom.

The intruder stepped closer to the door, and Ellie could see the form a bit better. The person was bundled up, but it was a woman. Probably not a rapist then. Maybe this revelation or the movement of the intruder is what gave Ellie either the bravery or the desperation to finally move herself. The phone was in reach, and had been the whole time. Ellie reached for it and yanked the portable from its charger. She hadn't begun to dial yet which was lucky, considering. The bottom of the phone exploded, and what remained was wrenched from Ellie's hand. She gasped and looked up. The woman had a gun. It was smoking. The woman was walking toward her with it.

What Ellie should have done was put her hands up. Maybe gotten on her knees and begged for mercy. Maybe she should have run. Or at the very least, she should have screamed. Her throat had opened up once more, so she knew she could make noise now.

Ellie did none of those things.

Instead, she grabbed a large frying pan from the pot rack and spun around, swinging it at the woman with all her strength. Ellie had never fought before, and in her adrenaline, she had no accuracy. The intruder intercepted the swing and tried pulling it away from Ellie. That was a mistake, though, because Ellie came in with the pull and slammed her whole body into the intruder. The gun went skittering away. Ellie didn't even notice.

Her fear had her crying now, hysterically. She threw her entire weight onto the woman and began slapping at her in a frenzy, and finally screaming, "Get out of my house! GET OUT!" What she didn't realize was that by pinning this woman, Ellie was keeping her from leaving the house, had she a mind to do so. For her part, the intruder was initially grunting in pain from the slaps, but then she finally said, "Stop it! You knocked out my contact!"

This had to be the most bizarre thing Ellie could ever imagine a home invader saying, but what was even odder, and caused Ellie to suddenly stop in confusion: She could have sworn she recognized the voice. Ellie shifted her weight off the intruder, but remained in a crouch to jump her again. Ellie took a good look at her. It was hard to tell in the dark, and the woman's hair was wrong, but her face was familiar. Insane, but…. "Jill?"

The reaction of the intruder was unexpected. She yelled out, "NO!" and whipped her legs up to slam into Ellie's abdomen. Ellie flew backwards. She might have been able to grab some purchase if her foot hadn't then connected on one of the spice bottles that were on the floor. Ellie's body twisted around, and her head cracked onto the corner of one of the kitchen counters. She went down.

* * *

_Omigod! _What had just happened? What the fuck had just happened? Ellie! Ellie wasn't supposed to have been there. She wasn't the target! They had taken so much caution. Staking out the home for days. Taking extra care so hopefully they wouldn't be noticed. Waiting for the proper time to confirm that their target was there. Then, they chose the most likely moment when the security systems might be off to sneak in. They had stood in that goddamned closet for two hours after everybody had gone asleep to make _sure_ they wouldn't be detected. They had been quiet. She _knew_ they had. And even if they had been found it should not have been by Ellie of all people. Jill couldn't believe this. She couldn't believe that she had opened her mouth. Why not just give Ellie a fucking business card? Then she had panicked. Ellie had recognized her voice, and Jill had snapped. And now Ellie…. Oh God, was Ellie dead? If she was dead, Chuck would…. would…. Jill rushed over and immediately bent over Ellie to check her pulse. _Strong. Thank God._

"Roberts!"

Vincent's voice, behind her. Jill turned to look that way. That was a mistake. Jill heard a noise from the other side. She turned her head just in time to see a human rocket shoot towards her. Too late. He connected grabbing her sides and throwing her. She went colliding into her partner. To Vincent's credit, he didn't lose his gun.

When Jill recovered her bearings a moment later, she saw that the man who had thrown her had scooped up Ellie and had made a beeline just out of the kitchen.

"Hold it." Vincent brought his gun up. The man holding Ellie (her husband?) froze. He turned around. Though clearly unhappy – understandably so – this man was calm and cool. He would have had to be to have taken them suddenly by surprise.

Vincent, ever unflappable himself, said, "This is unfortunate. You're not the person we're looking for. Maybe you can help us find him though."

The man slowly shook his head, and said, "I don't think so."

Suddenly, a steel partition slid down into the doorway separating the dining room from the kitchen, and notably, separating Jill and Vincent from Ellie and her rescuer.

* * *

_What?_

There might be some point in the future when Devon would think of his brave words followed by the falling of the steel door. The timing had a cinematic quality which was certainly awesome.

For the moment though, he was as shocked as the intruders on the other side. _What?_

It didn't matter. Ellie was hurt. He had to get her out of there. He'd figure out the weird steel door later. He wondered if he could get to the front door with her. Get her out.

"Devon, listen to me."

The sudden voice from nowhere made Devon yelp in fear, but he recognized it. "Steve?"

Devon had no idea where the voice was coming from. An intercom? He looked around. He didn't see any intercom, hadn't known one existed. (Of course, he also hadn't known about a sliding steel door!)

"Go down the hall with Ellie into the library, now!" Devon heard his disembodied father-in-law say.

Devon ran in the direction he was told, even as he said to Stephen (wherever he was). "What about outside?"

"Not safe. There's a panic room in the library."

"Wait. What?" Devon ran into the library, just in time to see one of the shelves swing aside to reveal another steel door, which was itself sliding open. Just as his mind was trying to register this new revelation though, he heard running footsteps. He didn't turn around, but dove in through the steel door. He looked around to see the two intruders burst into the library from the hall, and then the steel door slid shut behind him.

Devon stood with his unconscious wife in his arms in a panic room that he hadn't known about, having been directed there by his invisible father-in-law to escape from two home invaders with guns, and said the only thing that made sense.

"What?"

* * *

Vincent and Jill stopped dead and looked at the steel door. They didn't bother trying to open it.

"This isn't good," said Jill.

Vincent said, "It could be worse. At least now they'll be out of the way."

"Yeah? Suppose they have a phone to call the police in there?"

"Nobody's calling the police. You may not understand who we're dealing with, but I do."

"Is that right?"

The cold response hadn't come from Jill. On the steel door in front of them, an LCD screen suddenly showed a face made up of scrolling white characters on a black background. The picture was of a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses. The voice was distorted. Jill didn't recognize him, but she thought the man looked very angry.

"You've made an error, Vincent", said the man, as he typed something into a device on his arm. "This is the house that Orion built."

Then, all hell broke loose.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! OK, Anon and my wife worked overtime on improving this one. Thanks!**

**I'm grateful that folks are reading and reviewing. Please keep it up! **

**I don't own any of the characters of Chuck.**

**I'm sure it is quite obvious; the movie _Panic Room_ was one of my references for this section.  
**

* * *

He couldn't hear a thing. The steel door that protected Ellie and him must have been quite thick. He thought that was good. For a second. Until Devon Woodcomb realized that his wife had suffered a head injury that had rendered her unconscious, and he had violently moved her, potentially aggravating the harm.

Carefully holding Ellie's head and neck steady, Devon gently laid her out on the floor of this room he had never known existed. He looked around. There wasn't much room, but what there was of space was used to the maximum efficiency. There were bunks along one wall with blankets and other bedding. There were shelves of supplies: canned goods, what looked like foil vacuum wrapped army rations, books, and boxes that he didn't have time to investigate. In the back corner was a latrine and sink with a shower curtain for privacy. In the other corner was a fridge with a first aid kit over it. What he couldn't see was a phone, and his cellular was far out of reach. Naturally, there was no other means of egress. He had heard that Panic Rooms had monitors and intercoms to the outside (as well as phones), but not this one. Nothing.

Devon checked Ellie's vitals. She was breathing and had a steady, strong pulse. He examined her skull. There was a huge bump on the back of her head and a very small amount of blood, but he couldn't detect a fracture. Small comforts. Very small. Head injuries could be internal and were serious. If Ellie was only out for five minutes or less, then hopefully this was only a mild concussion, but if it lasted longer than that…. He called her name, trying to rouse her. When that didn't work, he lightly pushed on her extremities. Then he checked under her eyelids. Pupils seemed normal. But she hadn't woken up. How long since she fell? He had shown up just as it happened, but he had no idea how much time had passed. It couldn't have been more than a minute, surely, but it seemed so much longer than that.

He pulled one of the blankets off the bunk to place under her legs and another to go over her body. The floor was cold but he wasn't going to risk moving her again. He went over to the fridge and found some ice and took down the first aid kit. He put ice on the swelling and looked through the kit to evaluate what he might need once she woke up. _If she woke up._

He had to get an ambulance for her. Devon couldn't hear what was on the other side of the door, but he couldn't wait around regardless while Ellie's condition worsened, no matter who was out there. If nothing else, maybe he could at least crack the door. If the two with guns were out there, he could close it shut again fast before they shot him. Maybe. Or maybe he could offer himself in as a hostage if they would get Ellie an ambulance. He realized what a ridiculous idea that was, but his wife was in danger and it was the only option he could think of. Devon went to the door and pulled the lever. The door wouldn't open. The lever wouldn't budge. Devon was wrong. He had _no_ options at all. He turned back to Ellie, pushing aside thoughts of what might be happening outside the door.

* * *

Outside the steel door, Vincent Smith had just been shot with some kind of dart, and Jill Roberts was screaming. Neither had seen where the projectile had come from - this was a _library_ for God's sake – but suddenly the dart was jutting out of Vincent's neck. The next minute, he had thrown his body into Jill and brought them both crashing down onto the floor. That had momentarily knocked the air out of Jill, but in spite of that, she was able to perceive the multiple darts shooting over their heads to stick into books on the left hand wall. Some were as low as waist level. They dared not rise.

Jill looked at Vincent, and saw that he was foaming at the mouth. That's when she began to scream. Vincent groaned, and said, "Please Doctor." He breathed with effort. "You're giving me a headache." Eyeing the darts above him, Vincent carefully rolled his body off of Jill, and began to drag himself toward the hall door, ignoring the image of Orion glaring down at him. Jill army crawled after him, trying to keep her terror under wraps.

They made it out the door into the hallway. No darts here, at least not yet. That was good. Orion's face was now watching them from the hallway walls and ceiling. That was bad. The floor was tiled so no face was there, at least. Jill and Vincent exchanged glances. Safer to stay to the ground. She put one hand in front of the other, and continued to crawl. Out of the corner of her eye though, she saw Orion start to tap his arm device again. The result took but a moment to register for her. "Oh no," she whispered.

"What?" said Vincent. He had told her about how his senses had been dulled over the years. Apparently that included touch. He'd be able to tell soon though.

"Electrical current through the floor. The grey tiles must be metal. He's increasing it. Move!"

That may have been too much to ask of Vincent. He wasn't the quickest of men to begin with, and the drug, poison, or whatever it was probably slowed him down further. Jill couldn't think about that though. All of her thoughts were directed toward the increasing painful voltage that was entering her. She was trying to crawl fast. The hall wasn't that long, but…. It was no good. The fate of Vincent, the danger of standing up… None of it mattered. She had to get away from this pain. Crying out, Jill stood up and rushed toward the door.

Jill vaguely heard Vincent calling after her, but she was almost at the hall exit to the foyer. Another steel panel was coming down. If she didn't get through she'd be stuck there in the hall, and she'd be electrocuted along with her partner. She slid through feet first, and barely saved her fingers from being cut off.

The door shut. She stood up on her feet, and turned around and looked at the steel door. She heard nothing on the other side. Vincent was out. To confirm this a second later, the _face_ flashed up on the door's LCD screen. "Someone else you've betrayed. You have no loyalty to anyone save yourself." His voice was stern, as if he were giving her a lecture.

"Orion, please," Jill said desperately, "We just want to talk to you. We didn't want anybody to get hurt!"

Orion shook his head. "Tell that to my children." He started on his arm device again. Jill sensed it a split second before it happened, and threw herself backwards. A trap door had opened where she had just been standing.

"Orion, will you listen to me?" she cried. Orion stared at her. Then he pushed another button. His image disappeared.

Was that… good? Was he still watching her, listening? Perhaps this was Orion's signal that he was ceasing the attack. Maybe he was giving her the opportunity to surrender. Or, maybe he was coming right then to kill her personally. Vincent was possibly dead, incapacitated at the very least. The trouble was, she just didn't know. All she knew of Orion was the third-hand reports from Chuck, Vincent, and others. Chuck clearly had been the most off-base. His father was nothing like Chuck. Orion had a reputation as a killer. He'd destroyed entire buildings to take down his prey. Sometimes innocents had been killed. And Jill knew very well that she wasn't an innocent.

Jill realized that the house was completely silent. She might have been in a horror film, the killer ready to spring out at her any second now.

_Screw it. _Vincent had provided her protection and leadership, but if he was out of commission, her first responsibility was to herself. Bracing herself for more springing traps, Jill walked quickly to the front door and turned the handle. Nothing. She was locked in here. Cursing, she ran toward the kitchen through the living room.

_Please, let the gun still be there. Please. _It was. She let her breath out and grabbed it.

It was only after the metal net fell from the ceiling, fully smashing her body into the floor that Jill realized the gun hadn't been in the same place it had originally fallen.

As consciousness seeped away, Jill thought she saw a pair of shoes approaching toward her through the mesh of the net.

* * *

He had to work fast. Devon was waiting, and Ellie…

_She's been hurt._

He'd messed up. He'd seen the readings, but assumed it was just more of Beckman's people in the area. He'd gotten careless, that was it. Settling down after years on the run had made him clumsy. That, and he was upset because of the argument with Chuck. Ellie was paying for that now.

After pulling off the net, Stephen administered the drug. They'd be out for as long as he needed. He had used an extra dose for Vincent. He knew that Smith could take a lot more than the average man. If Stephen had overcompensated, and given Vincent too much; well, that would just be a sorry shame, wouldn't it?

From there, it was a simple matter to open another trap door and shove both Roberts and the net through it. He wasn't tying her up. There wasn't time for that.

Always proficient at multitasking, Stephen made the call, while resetting the metal doors, then removing the evidence of the darts in the library. When the person on the other end answered, Stephen didn't bother engaging in pleasantries. "We've had intruders at the house. I took care of it, but Ellie's hurt. Send the usual cop and medical cover crew and then meet Devon at the hospital. I'll tell Beckman about it later. Right now, I've got to clean this situation." He paused, then added, "Break it to him gently, Agent Walker."

Stephen clicked off.

* * *

He couldn't believe that he had thought Chuck being a spy was awesome.

Devon's problem was that he always saw the positive, romantic side of things. He should have considered the ramifications of what it meant to have an actual spy as your brother-in-law. Why hadn't he? How could he have just thrown aside the fact that John Casey had threatened him with a gun? That some kind of spy-related mission had destroyed his first wedding? But both of those incidents had worked out, ultimately. Casey hadn't shot him (thanks to some great timing from Chuck and Sarah), and it was understood that they were all on the same side. Chuck had made up for the ruined wedding with an even better one. Ultimately, it had all seemed fairly harmless.

But now Ellie was injured. Somebody had broken into _their_ house, which had some features his father-in-law had never told him about. And Stephen Bartowski was involved, up to his eyebrows. If Steve was a spy as well as Chuck…. Was there anybody in this family that _wasn't _a spy?

He looked down at his wife. She was so beautiful and smart and active and cool. So incredibly awesome. She had taken care of her brother. She deserved the world. She didn't deserve to be hurt, or lied to by her family. Things needed to change.

"Ellie," Devon said softly, "Babe, I love you. Wake up, OK?" He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. When he raised his head up again, Ellie slowly opened her eyes.

Devon blinked. _Wow, didn't expect that to work. Damn, I'm good!_

Ellie looked at him, then groaned. "Honey, I think I hit my head."

Devon nodded. "Yeah Babe, you did. Its going to be OK now, though. I-"

He stopped because the door suddenly opened, and Steve was there. The man looked disheveled and worried. "Is she all right, Devon?"

Devon flushed for a moment in anger, but pushed it down. Now wasn't the time. "I think she's going to be. We need to get her to a hospital."

"Good, I've already called an ambulance and the police."

"Oh God," Ellie said. "I remember now. I got into a fistfight with a woman burglar, and she looked like-" Her face twisted into confusion. Then her eyes darted to different parts of the room. "Um?"

"Ah," Stephen said, "Ellie I didn't tell you about this panic room in your house, because I thought you'd be turned off by it and might not take the home because of it."

"What?" Ellie appeared utterly perplexed. "There's an extra room in my house I don't know about?"

Devon looked at his father-in-law angrily. He didn't want to keep lying to his wife. He wasn't going to. But he didn't want to upset her, not right now. She needed treatment. There'd be time for the truth later.

"Let's get you out front. The ambulance should be her any minute."

* * *

The cover crews were actually from the local hospital and police department. These particular professionals simply had more than one supervisor, and the official bosses didn't know about the covert ones. That came in handy.

Devon stood by Ellie's side as they checked her over, but while they were prepping her to be transferred into the ambulance, Stephen came and asked Ellie if he could borrow Devon just for a second. She complied.

Stephen took his son-in-law aside, and said, "You knew about Chuck, but you didn't know about me. You're upset."

"Are you a spy?" Devon asked. His voice was cold.

Stephen smiled grimly but didn't respond.

Devon said, "I'm telling Ellie the truth, Steve. You can't stop me."

Of course this would be Devon's reaction. The young doctor had been content to keep Chuck's secrets as long as nobody had been harmed. This was different, however. Even so….

"I understand, Devon, but now isn't the time. Ellie shouldn't be upset right now, as I'm sure you know. And," Stephen leaned in and lowered his voice, "You'll have to think long and hard about if you're ready to have both of you relocated to a witness protection program, effectively ending your lives as you know them. Because if you tell Ellie, that will be the outcome."

He leaned back. Devon's expression was one of utter shock. Stephen felt sympathetic, but this was the way of things. He said, "I promise that I will keep Ellie safe, Devon."

Devon looked at him strangely, but Stephen thought he understood the expression. _He's trying to understand who and what I am. Join the club, Son. _Stephen patted Devon on the shoulder and said, "Sarah and Chuck will meet you both at the hospital. I'll be there as soon as I can. Now, go to her."

Looking uncomfortably at Stephen one more time, Devon turned around and walked back to Ellie.

The ambulance drove away a minute later, and Orion watched it go.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everybody! OK, this is the final chapter of "Chuck Vs. the Strange Bedfellows". Hopefully, I'll have less of a delay between sections this time. Sadly, nothing is ever guaranteed. I thank all of you for your patience, for reading my stuff, and special thanks to those who have provided reviews.**

**Thanks as always to my wife and Anon for editing my stuff.**

**I don't own any characters from Chuck.**

**Let's go!**

* * *

The stink of ammonia burned her nostrils and brought Dr. Jill Roberts to a choking consciousness. Her eyes began to tear up, but she hardly registered that as the next sensation – that of horrific pain in her back, joints, and head took precedence. After her coughing wave subsided, she moaned twice. Once in response to the physical pain, and once more when she realized her current situation.

She was trussed up. Her body was leaning against a wall, while her wrists and ankles were bound together in front of her, tightly. There was virtually no give, and the cords were digging into her flesh and impeding circulation. Her head was allowed to move, and she could see her partner, Vincent Smith, in a similar condition. In his case, he still appeared drugged, though conscious. He might have been better off, she wasn't sure. She certainly did not value the experience of being quite conscious but terrified.

The frowning figure of Stephen Bartowski, the elusive Orion, was standing over them. The used smelling salts were in one hand. A pistol with silencer was in the other, and was pointed at her. Noting that she was awake, Orion ever so slightly bowed his head.

"You wanted to talk, Dr. Roberts?"

* * *

With Sarah speeding, the drive time was cut in half. Even so, Chuck Bartowski was in hell. Ellie had been hurt. There had been a break-in at the house and Ellie had been hurt. That was all his father had told Sarah. _God damn him. _Sarah had explained to Chuck that his father was in the midst of this insanity and didn't have time to go into details. Chuck could understand that, on the surface. He even could understand why his father had called Sarah, not him. First, Sarah knew how to summon the appropriate support. Second, Chuck would have gone hysterical – much as he was doing now – and no help would have come from that. Yet, for all of this logic, Chuck burned with resentment at how he had been told. Ellie was his _sister_, and for the longest time, they were the only family each other had. The reason was that first one parent had abandoned them, then the other. Chuck understood why his father had done that, but at times like this, the old hurts stung, badly. Sarah hadn't been part of that family either. She was the spy who had come into his life, bringing love and excitement. But also deadly danger. Miraculously, in the space of more than two years, Chuck had been flung into the life of a spy, and never _seriously _been physically damaged. Oh, sure, he had been in danger of dying any number of times, but Sarah and Casey had always gotten him out of it. And the only time that he had been injured to any great degree was when the New Intersect first manifested itself. He had recovered though. The fact was; there was only one person who had come too close to death since Chuck's spy life began: Ellie.

She had been poisoned by that ex-gymnast mercenary. It was only luck that she had survived. And even though it had been a coincidence that she had been targeted then, that still did not dent Chuck's certainty that if he had been normal, that fate wouldn't have befallen his sister.

Now, she was hurt again; he had no idea how badly. There had been a "break-in". Sure, there was a possibility the break-in might have nothing to do with the spy life. A possibility so miniscule that it could be easily ignored. No, this break-in had something to do with him, or Sarah, or Casey, or… his father? Did somebody find out that the man known as Orion lived there, and Ellie was paying the price? That didn't seem likely. Orion had successfully hid from bad guys for years. However, this was also the man who said he had his own security system for the property. Surely, your normal run-of-the-mill burglar wouldn't be able to take two steps toward the house without his father pouncing.

Every so often, Chuck would spot Sarah glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. She was concerned about him, he could tell. In fact, initially, she had driven more slowly, so she could hold the steering wheel with one hand, while using the other to hold his. Chuck had thanked her, but told her to not worry about him. He needed her to focus on getting them there as soon as possible. She had complied, but she was still worried for him.

They hadn't had the time or inclination to tell Casey. The Colonel would complain about it later, but Sarah had felt it was best not to involve him until they knew everything about the incident. So, they had let him sleep, and left.

Sarah was talking to Chuck about how they should approach this incident with Devon. Chuck's brother-in-law knew most of Chuck's secret (save the Intersect), but nobody else did and they needed to keep it that way. Chuck barely heard her. After awhile, she must have noticed that, because she simply stopped talking. All his thoughts were on Ellie. He hoped that Sarah would understand that. He thought she would.

He kept holding his breath around every turn, hoping the next one would bring them to the hospital. The heavy breathing started making him a bit dizzy, but he worked to pull himself together.

They finally arrived.

* * *

"We waited until after everybody was asleep to initiate contact. We didn't know Ellie would wake up. She startled me." Jill said all of this quickly.

"Oh? And here I thought you planned to use my daughter as a hostage against me. Vincent _has_ done things like that before." Orion had pulled up a chair and was sitting several feet away, facing both of them, alternating without pattern the direction toward who he was pointing the gun.

Vincent nodded his head at that. "I have, Orion. Hostage-taking works. When you want an enemy to surrender, assuming your enemy cares more about his loved one than himself." Vincent smiled then, to Jill's astonishment. Did he want Orion to shoot them?

"However," Vincent continued, "Dr. Roberts and I haven't come to you as enemies this time."

"Friends?" asked Orion with a cold voice.

Vincent's smile turned sour. "Never friends. Colleagues."

Orion matched Vincent's expression with one of his own. "But I prefer us as enemies, Vincent."

"And I'd prefer to still be tracking you down under the auspices of Fulcrum," replied Vincent. "But Fulcrum is dead. Murdered by the Ring. The Ring that is even now targeting your son."

"You know this, how, exactly?"

"I've made it my business to seek vengeance for Fulcrum. I picked up Dr. Roberts en route, and she is of a similar mind. We've been tracking the Ring, just as I've tracked you in the past."

"I always stayed a step ahead of you. Have you had any better luck with the Ring?"

Vincent frowned, "Not as much as I'd like. Their leaders still elude me. However, Dr. Roberts and I were able to find one agent and we've made the best of it. We managed to partially disrupt an operation to murder FBI agents during a Triad sting."

Orion tried to keep his face inscrutable, but Jill had studied men for years, and she could read them well. Even this man. He was uncertain.

Vincent could tell the same thing. "You know who else was there at that operation, don't you?"

* * *

When they found the room, Ellie was sitting up in her hospital gown, considering the hospital food in front of her with the usual distaste one would expect when faced with hospital food.

"Ellie!" Chuck gushed in obvious relief. He rushed to her side and then paused. "Um… Is it safe to hug you?"

Ellie grinned. "My head was hurt, not my ribs. C'mere."

The two hugged. Sarah felt her own tension dissolve as Chuck's did. She had been worried for him, but also for Ellie, herself, and it was good to see her friend awake and talking, after not knowing what type of shape they might have found her in.

That release of tension lasted only until Sarah glanced at Devon. Sarah's stomach dropped. He was looking at _her_. He did not look the least bit happy to see her. A moment later he turned his head back to his wife and Chuck as they released each other, and just like that, a grin came to Captain Awesome's face. Sarah had never seen this with Devon. It was so fluid; he might have been a spy himself. Or an amazing actor.

"So, you gonna tell me how you got in trouble this time?" Chuck asked, playfully. "And, ah, what's the damage?"

Sarah wished Chuck hadn't done that. Not asking about the injury; they both wanted to know the answer to that. Asking about the specifics of the event. If Devon's look toward Sarah had been any indication, the significance of this occurrence had not been lost on him. They needed to discuss this, but without Chuck's sister present. Ellie didn't know, and Sarah wanted to keep it that way.

"Oh, just a concussion. Nothing major. The doctors want to keep me awake for awhile longer to take a couple of more tests, but from the looks of things so far, I should be fine." Surprisingly, Ellie was talking as if this was a normal occurrence.

"Thank God," said Sarah. She truly felt that way, but part of her also wanted Devon to _know_ that she felt that way.

"As for what actually happened-"

"Hon," Devon interrupted, "I'm not sure now's the time to be discussing this. You don't need the stress."

_Bless him_, Sarah thought. _He gets this._

"Oh hush, I'll be fine," said Ellie, waving dismissively. "You didn't treat me like porcelain when I broke my leg."

"This time, it's your head!" Devon protested.

"Bartowskis have thick heads," Ellie said crisply, to which Chuck smirked. "Anyway," she continued, "what can I tell you? I came downstairs, ran into a burglar, got into a fight, tripped over my own feet, woke up in a room I didn't know we owned, and here we are."

Sarah and Chuck looked at Devon, who seemed a bit uncomfortable but shrugged. "That, uh… that about sums it up. The burglar got away, and Steve called the cops."

"Uh…" said Chuck, "Room you didn't know you owned?"

"Panic room." Ellie replied very fast. Getting a concussion seemed to speed up the tempo of her speech. "We have a panic room. Dad didn't _tell_ us we had a panic room, but he never told us when he was leaving, so I guess a panic room is reasonable."

She suddenly burst into tears.

The reaction of all three was immediate. Devon rushed over to Ellie, and though Chuck obviously wanted to hold his sister, himself, he stepped back so his brother-in-law could get to his wife. Sarah for her part, stepped forward, then stopped. Who was _she_? What role did she have here? She was Ellie's friend, yes, but…. What if her presence in the Bartowskis lives had led to this? So, instead, Sarah moved to Chuck and ever so gently placed her hand on his back, hoping it would reassure.

"I'm sorry," Ellie sobbed. "It's just hitting me now, I guess. I was terrified. That woman was in my house and she had a gun."

"The burglar was a woman?" Chuck asked, his brows furrowed.

"Yeah, skinny type. Short light hair, far as I could tell. But it was the weirdest thing. I must have been out of my mind, because it makes no sense, but at one point, she said something to me, and I could have sworn that her voice sounded like Jill of all people. Isn't that crazy?" Ellie paused from her sobs and looked up, then gasped, horrified. "Oh God, Chuck, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out. Of course, it's not Jill."

Numbly, Sarah Walker turned her head to find her boyfriend in shock. She could feel it in his back. He had gone rigid. She thought he might have turned to stone then, and it was only she who was keeping him from falling over. She could understand that.

She was feeling much the same way.

* * *

"You're saying that you saved Chuck's life, but you can't prove it." Orion looked as if he were trying to stare Vincent down, but even bound and at the mercy of another, Vincent didn't seem the least bit intimidated.

"We can't prove that we specifically saved your son, no," agreed Vincent. "We do have photos of the scene, however, including pictures of your son's team, as well as evidence of the treachery against the FBI agents. Two pictures show Doctor Roberts shooting some of the enemy who would have otherwise shot the FBI agents, and in one case, your son."

"And how did you learn about this Ring operation?" asked Orion.

"We're spies too, Orion," replied Vincent. "Fulcrum was a subsidiary of the Ring, even if most of us did not originally know that. We're familiar with Ring tactics because the Ring was the source of the training."

Jill interrupted, "Why do you think the Ring decided to purge Fulcrum in the first place? Even if we didn't know much about their ultimate goals, we might know enough to be a threat."

Orion looked at her sharply, and Jill recognized an expression of utter distaste. "Only because you botched too many operations to still be useful to them."

"That belief was a mistake on their part," said Vincent, his voice cold.

"Orion," Jill couldn't help the pleading tone of her voice, "the main operative we know of- That person knows that Chuck is the human Intersect, and has known at least since the Triad sting. That operative knows where Chuck lives. That information must have been given to the Ring by now."

"Who is this operative?"

"We can't"- Jill was in the process of responding, but was interrupted by Vincent.

"Mei-Ling Cho."

Jill looked at her partner, disbelievingly. They had agreed to hold this information until Orion had proven he would work with them.

Vincent returned her stare. "A show of good faith, Doctor."

"Mei-Ling Cho," repeated Orion. "You have proof of this?"

"Photographic proof," confirmed Vincent. "Perhaps, you can bring her in, have her interrogated by Beckman's people."

"You wouldn't suggest that, though," said Orion.

"No, I wouldn't. Cho is only one agent, and I'm guessing that the agents you already have in custody haven't talked. But follow her, and she might lead you to more important targets."

"If these people know about Chuck, why haven't they taken any action against him?"

"We don't know," said Jill. "They may be waiting for something, but we're sure they're watching every move Chuck and his team make. Orion, it's only a matter of time before they do something."

"And yet," said Orion, his face darkening," you both know about Chuck too, and you're the ones who hurt my daughter tonight."

He looked at her in such a way that Jill felt herself begin to sweat.

* * *

Chuck and Sarah made their apologies, saying they needed to get some fresh air, and that they wanted to give Ellie and Devon some space to themselves. Neither was fooled. Ellie kept apologizing to Chuck about bringing up Jill, insisting that she was, of course, mistaken. Devon, for his part, kept looking at the two of them significantly. Ultimately though, neither kept Chuck and Sarah from taking their requested break.

Sarah took Chuck's hand. It felt clammy and loose in hers. She whispered in his ear to not talk about it until they got back to her car. He weakly nodded in agreement. He looked haunted.

They got into her car, and sat in silence for more than five minutes before he began to talk. He was looking down at his lap, not at her.

"This is my fault."

She expected that he might say something like that, even though it simply wasn't true. It wasn't his fault Jill had escaped them.

"I let her escape, Sarah."

Sarah stopped breathing for a moment.

"Jill had a chance to escape during the firefight in the Fulcrum recruiting center. She came back to save me instead, and told me where Dad was being held. So, I let her go."

He paused, still not looking at her. Maybe he was waiting for her to hit him? Arrest him? Kill him?

Sarah didn't know what she felt. Shock? Yes, perhaps. Yet, the more she thought about it, the more she wasn't surprised. Jill had always been Chuck's weak spot. His judgment when it came to that bitch was non-existent. That Jill Roberts had that effect on Chuck was what made Sarah hate her so much.

Sarah should have been angry. She should have thrown Chuck to the wolves, let Beckman toss him in a bunker, never to see the light of day again. She should have broken up with him, then and there.

Instead, to her own astonishment, Sarah found herself speaking to Chuck in a comforting voice, as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Chuck. We'll find her and bring her in."

Chuck's voice was odd as he said, "But I don't want to bring her in, Sarah."

Sarah's heart skipped a beat again. She didn't know where her initial reserves of understanding were coming from, but if he was actually suggesting that they let Jill stay free-

Sarah's thoughts in this direction stopped abruptly, as Chuck finally turned to face her, and she saw in his eyes something that she had never seen before.

His eyes seemed full of cold rage as Chuck spat out, "I want her _dead_."

* * *

"I swear to God, Orion, I never wanted to hurt Ellie."

Why had she? Jill found herself searching her mind for explanations, for herself, as well as the man interrogating her. She found something approximating the truth, and she grasped at it. She simply didn't have time to come up with a better lie.

"Chuck was always good to me; even when I was working against him, he always gave me another chance. He let me go. He did. I wanted to help him. Part of me…. It was unrealistic, I know, but part of me wanted there to be another chance for us. And when Ellie recognized me, breaking into her home with a gun, I panicked, because I didn't want Chuck to know that I had done this. I lashed out. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for her to get hurt. Her or Chuck. Especially Chuck. In spite of everything I have ever done, I love your son."

"You hurt him, Dr. Roberts. All you have ever done is hurt him."

"No, I saved his life. Don't you understand?"

"Orion," Vincent said, "You can turn us in, or kill us here and dispose of our bodies, but that would be a waste. You know the threat, maybe better than we do. As long as the Ring exists, your family is a target. Use us as a resource to help you take the Ring down. That's why we came to find you. We believe nobody is more capable in this war than you."

Orion looked at Vincent, and said quietly, "You may be of use."

"And me?" Jill asked.

Orion turned back to her. "They say you should know your enemies as well as your friends, perhaps better. Well, I know Vincent Smith. He spent years chasing me, always dogging my heels. I know his capabilities, and his values. Twisted as he is, Vincent has a kind of honor. I've studied you too, Dr. Roberts, ever since you wheedled your way into my son's life and set in place the string of events that led him to get kicked out of Stanford and be miserable for years. For all that, I've never been able to figure you out. You're an enigma to me. I do know one thing about you though." Orion raised his pistol toward her head. "You're not hurting my family again."

Jill had time to scream before he pulled the trigger.

* * *

Vincent's face remained impassive as he watched pieces of Dr. Roberts skull and brain splatter the wall behind her. Her body twitched for a moment, then went still. When Vincent turned his gaze away from her, he found Orion lowering his gun, and staring at what he had done. Vincent wasn't sure if Orion's expression was one of regret, or something else.

"That was unprofessional," said Orion. "That's why I didn't ask you to do it."

Vincent said nothing.

Orion pointed the still smoking gun at Vincent. "I know you don't fear death, Vincent, so I know you're not going to lie to me when I ask you this. Can you work with someone who sometimes does things that aren't always professional?"

Vincent Smith thought about it briefly and then gave his answer.

* * *

**To be continued in "Chuck Vs. the Ghost"**


End file.
